Walking on Thin Ice
by x3Anling
Summary: Lin Xiao was a 3rd seat 1st part Clarinetist in the prestigious Mariwaki Middle school concert band. Alex Lao was a loud and annoying 7th grade boy. 1 year difference though some how the 2 built a close bond...In middle school! More of the summery inside
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**The beginning; Middle school & Matriculation**

**Disclaimer: **I OWN all rights to this story. Why? because these characters are my original characters. My original settings and based off actual real live events.

**x3Anling's Author Note: **This story was originally all pictures with short "captions" and was never meant to be fully written out and put up on fanfiction. However, my friend told me to write it out because She read it like a book and claimed "there wasn't much detail to it" and that she wanted to know more of what happened. So I started writing it all out. This was originally suppose to be the first chapter but I wanted to set up all the past stuff first. Yeah. It's a pretty long Prologue . It's kind of like a pre-chapter thingy. A long pre-chapter thingy. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. R&R please? :D

**Summary: **Lin Xiao was a 3rd seat 1st part Clarinetist in the prestigious Mariwaki Middle school concert band. Alex Lao was a loud and annoying 7th grade boy. 1 year difference though some how the 2 built a close bond...In middle school! Will their friendship last throughout high school or crumble to the ground? _A story based off real and personal High school events however, many settings, names, events, and "letters/messages" have been tweeked/changed. _

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I remember when everyone in middle school wanted to grow up. I remember when everyone all thought Pre-algebra was the hardest class. That Band students were the coolest kids you ever knew. When Everyone wore Uniforms. When there were no such things as cliques. When everyone had a myspace instead of a facebook. Yes. Those were the days. The simple days. The innocent days.

But It changes after Matriculation. The graduation of the school's 8th graders.

It all started in my 8th grade year at Mariwaki Middle school. The school had three "houses" or "teams" for each grade. I was in the second house of 8th graders; 8-2. I remember times when students would think the first house had all the geniuses in them, Third with the idiots, and the Second with the 'in-between' students. Honestly, they were all put into random order though I never bothered telling that to anyone.

My final year at Mariwaki was most memorable from all its ups and downs. I was one of those popular band students that almost everyone wished they would have been. A 3rd seat, 1st Part clarinet player was my spot in the concert band. Everyone looked upon us like a prized possession of the school. That's the only thing that's worth going to Mariwaki. The concert band was amazing. Though the popularity and cherished feeling from being in the band came second to my next activity; The Asian club. Yeah. Weird name for a club right? Mater of fact, I never really considered it as a club. All we did was sit around in a classroom with the so called 10 or less members who signed up and watched movies or ate food or whatever. It was unorganized and the President? Ugh. Don't get me started on her. She was a pretend wanna-be of me. A fake.

So what did I like about this club? Why did I love this lame dump of a club over the prestigeious concert band? For starters, it wasn't because of what we did but because of the people who joined. Sure, the president was horrible. Sure the tresurer was complitely disorganized and the vice president wasn't even IN the club half the time (probably with her boyfriend or something). But the other members? Yes. They were worth staying in that dumb Asian club.

There was only one person who slightly got on my nerve a bit. He wasn't a jerk or anything and he didn't anything bad to me. He was just really irritating and loud. His name? Alex Lao. To be more specific, His real name was Li Rou. But everyone called Him Alex (and he preferred to be called Alex Lao instead of Li Rou).

There wasn't much to say about Alex Lao. Well, anything nice that is. He was loud in class. Immature. And was pretty Ignorant. What could you expect from a 7th grade boy?

I could list you everything I practically knew about him. One, He pretends he knows everything. Two, He was short; shorter than me by at least 5 inches (considering I'm only about 4,11 I think 5 inches less than me is pretty tiny.) Three he's got the worst cropped hair cut I've seen. Its like someone shaved off his side burns or something and he usually left the top of his hair styled with gel. Not the best thing to do when your hair is short and cropped. Four, He's pretty thin and lightweight. I mean, I'm thin too but I think he's much thinner than me. Five, he's got oval glasses that DO NOT frame his face well. not to mention they are tinted when they hit the sunlight. Really? I think that's pretty lame. I mean, I have pretty bad eye sight to but at least my glasses frame my face nicely. Six, his teeth are crooked. Like, jagged rocks or something. Parents to poor to afford braces for him?

And finally, Seven. He's never been in love. Never got his first kiss. I'm pretty sure almost 95% of the students here in Mariwaki middle school (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) have all been in love. Crushes, checking out, Flirting; some students are already getting boyfriends. Especially a small hand full of 8th graders. Some girls are already loosing their virginity.

But Alex? Yeah, you could say he is the weirdest and more annoying 7th grader in Mariwaki. Some people even question about his sexuality. He acts gay but he claims to be straight. I say he's gay. It's by the way he acts, it just throws everything together.  
I never thought I would even come in contact with Alex about anything. He and I were on different levels of interest. I was a music person. He was a video techi-guy. Far different. So when I joined the Asian club here in Mariwaki, that's when I first met him. He was still loud, obnoxious. Crazy. That's all I could say about him at the first meeting.

During my time spent within the club, I found out so much about Alex. First of all, his nickname is Li, which is really similar to my name, Lin just without the N. We had the same prescription for glasses. I also found out that he was pretty strong. He lifted me up bridal style and swung me around like a feather. He gave me piggy back rides around the room and sometimes around parts of the campus. AND He's not gay. He's just flamboyant and is pretty feminine But not gay. He does like girls but never fell in love with one yet. I was surprised but so glad I found out so much about him that I never knew. And by the end of the first month of meeting, we were almost like best friends.

I trusted him and he trusted me. I told him who I had a crush on (Sen Mung). I told him my favorite flowers. Everything. I started to see the kindness this 7th grade boy had. And I started regretting everything I thought of him at first.

As my final middle school year wore on, it was only two more months until Matriculation (graduation from middle school). Time went by so fast and I was so oblivious to it all. I spent so much more time with Alex that he was almost like my best friend. And that's when everything ended.

The day of Matriculation, I walked the line to get my Middle school diploma. Everyone was looking at me and out in the crowd I saw Alex smiling at me, waving. I smiled at him back and took the diploma, heading back to my seat and waiting until the entire ceremony was finished. After it all, I went to find him in the crowd, only to see him standing there with a huge bouquet of flowers. He walks up to me and handed the huge bouquet of colorful roses, carnations and other unknown flowers that I didn't know the names to. He grew a bit, about 3 inches taller. He was at my eye level now.

"Alex, what are these for?" I questioned surprised.

He shows his crooked smile and brilliantly bright eyes at me. Then he hand me my backpack I had told him to get in the band room prior to the ceremony. "They're for you, Duh! I heard from Michelle's cousin that High school is pretty hard so these are to help wish you good luck!"

I grinned back at him and took a huge breath of the flowers. They were sweet and gave a humble smell. "You're so sweet. I wish you the best of luck next year as an 8th grader. One more year and you'll be in high school too. And then _I'LL_ be the one handing you a bouquet of flowers to you at _YOUR _Matriculation."

"Ha! You'll be to busy with High school to come wand watch me graduate next year." He fought back.

"Hey! No I won't. Dude, you're like one of my closes friends. How can I forget your Matriculation?"

He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a comforting hug. His arms felt so secure around my waist and it made me feel so guilty to be giving him a one armed hug around his neck due to the fact that I had this bouquet of flowers in my other.

He lets go and eyes something, turning me around to make me see what he was looking at. "Hey, there's Sen Mung. You should go talk to him." He said quite blandly and gave me a little push.

I giggled and shook my head. "Nah. He wouldn't be interested in me." I said shyly.

Alex made a tisk tisk noise and pushed me even more. "C'mon Lin. You aren't going to get guys if you're so shy about it." He teased.

I rolled my eyes at him and sighed. "Ah fine. I'll do as you say, oh Mighty Alex Lao." I give him a final good bye and a very quick one armed hug before leaving.

And that was the last time I saw Alex Lao for Two years.

The following year, I was a freshman in Mari High school. Classes were tough and if you thought Middle school was hard, you'd think High school was hell. SEVEN periods, Five classes each day. Three text books and 1 massive pile of homework to do over the weekend. It was like death was preparing you for when you get old. Not to mention the many extra curricular activities here. 5 times more than Mariwaki! So many more clubs and sports and electives. It was so hard to choose from them all.

I ended up taking Marching band as my after school activity. OH DEAR LORD! Having marching band pile onto my school work just made everything so much more harder.

Summer practice started at 8 and ended at 5 in the after noon. 9 hours in the Sun twice a week for a whole month. You think Mr. Wan would stop with the practices? Hell no! He gave us 3 weeks to learn and memorize 4 songs for our show. After those 3 weeks, he made us go in the sun and do basics. Then we started dotting down spots for our show. And every time I got home from practice, I would sleep and sleep and sleep until the next practice came up. It was sure hell.

When The the official school year started in September, Practices kept going on. However, instead of practice starting at 8, it started right after school at 2:30 and ended at 5. Same number of days every week which totaled out to 9 hours out in the sun per week. Sunburns and slightly darker skin had taken over my arms and legs, leaving me with a farmer's tan. Sometimes I forgot to do my piles and piles of homework when I got home from school and practice. It led me to low grades and I almost failed the first quarter of school.

After the Marching season had ended, I tried so hard to raise up my grades from very low C's to at least a high B or a low A. I stayed up all night and sometimes didn't sleep, just to finish and catch up with extra credit, projects, un-finished classwork and homework. I passed all my classes with A's and B's my freshman year and was so relieved to finally lay down and relax for the first time ever in so long.

Though I felt like something was not right. Like something was not yet finished. It was then one day when I was cleaning out my room, I found my old 8th grade Yearbook. Dusting the cover free from dust, I gazed at the hard cover book. It was blue and grey and a bright shade of pink. I liked the cover and the overall design of the entire yearbook. Opening up the cover, I read all the signatures from everyone who signed my yearbook. I saw many comments from people who either wrote how Asian I was, how I was a wonderful keyboardist/clarinet player or that I had a bad ass wardrobe with cool socks. I laughed at some remarks about me and looked at the photos, trying to think back to when these pictures were taken and what was going on. It was then when I found the Asian club photo. All the members were there and I was in the front row, smiling next to a little boy. Next to the picture of Asian club was a long message written in a florescent blue ink and neat hand writing. The message took over a whole page and as I scanned it, I read it.

_Lin! _  
_ It was so cool meeting you this year! I'm really happy I joined Asian club and met you and all. Honestly you were the only reason why I stayed in that club. There were so many fun times together like the time I piggy backed you around the field or when we danced a tango together. We totally failed at that because 1. We didn't know how to tango or how to ballroom dance and 2. You were waaay taller than me. But we had fun right? That's all that matters. I really wish I knew you longer. Sometimes I wish I were an 8th grader too or you were a 7th grader like me. I wish I joined the concert band and played an instrument like you. Lin, you were someone who was looked up upon by everyone in Mariwaki. A 3rd seat first part clarinet player. You were one of the best and you were my role-model. A pretty and smart role-model and I wanted to be just like you. Heh, sounds like a 5th grader saying this right? But it's all true.  
__I should also tell you that I took your yearbook from you bag when you went to Matriculation today. You left it in the band room and you told me to go get it because it had all your stuff in here. I did. I watched the ceremony and I have a bouquet of flowers to give. You looked pretty in White. I hope you saw me wave at you. Just in case I don't see or you don't see me or can't find me after the ceremony, I just wanted to tell you good luck! High school is tough and I know you will be successful in life.  
__When I have my Matriculation, I want you to be there. I want to see your face in the crowd. Then You'll be the one giving me a bouquet of flowers. Haha.  
Well Lin, Don't forget about me okay? And don't forget about my Matriculation next year. Have a great summer and I'll see you in two years When I become a freshman in Mari High.  
- Alex Lao. _

I closed the year book and sat in my room with tears stains on my cheeks. Yes. I was crying. I had forgotten all about Alex's Matriculation. No. I had completely forgotten all about Alex Lao since I left Mariwaki.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Blinded; I was so oblivious**

**Disclaimer: **I OWN all rights to this story. Why? because these characters are my original characters. My original settings and based off actual real live events.

**x3Anling's Author Note: **Well, This was originally the 2nd chapter but since last post was a prologue (a very long prologue), I has made this chapter 1 (because it would be weird if it went Prologue then chapter 2 lol). And I know this post has many grammar and spelling errors but give me a break please? I just came back from a very long and tiring three day trip... ._.

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As a Second year high school student, you know the basic places of your own high school yes? Where the bathrooms are. What classes are where. Who the teachers are (well, your class teachers). Where's the cafeteria? What about the Library. Yes. You know where they all are. You don't need help from Juniors or Seniors anymore. Although, some educational tips are good here and there.

Me? Yeah. I'm a second year high school student now. A sophomore in Mari High school and things can only get harder each year. Considering I joined the Mari High School Marching band again. Ugh. Why do I put myself in more touchier? Maybe because our director, Mr. Wan is always intimidating us to join every year. I swear, he's got some obsessive disorder of making the band bigger. I'm just kidding. Eh, you never know.

It was the third week into the new school year and the final bell of the day rang. Sen Mung and I were just leaving our Japanese class on our way to the bandroom to change for rehearsal. Yes, after school rehearsal.

There's a story between Sen and I. Lots of bad ones but very memorial and hard to forget. In my middle school years, I use to have a huge crush on Sen Mung. I have no idea what I saw in him but I ended up liking him up until my freshman year. It was pretty creepy and he treated me like crap back then. He would pull my hair and tease me. Call me names and be such an ass. He was like a wanna-be gangster in Mariwaki Middle school and that attitude carried him onto Mari High school. A fake (just like the Asian club president in Mariwaki!). However, he would only act like a total douche to me and to everyone else he was all kind and nice-y goody goody. It pissed me off and we often got into lots of fights because of it.  
Though after getting over Sen in the beginning of my sophomore year, We became really good friends. Like, really good. But not to the point where we actually liked each other. No no. He wasn't the type of person to be showing affection or hugging me. He's the kind of guy who would want to act all tough.

Sen and his chinky Japanese eyes. You'd think he'd get an A in Japanese but really, he fails most of his test. Ironic because he is Japanese. I'm Chinese yet I pass with A's and B's. Maybe it's because the Japanese language first originated in China some thousands of years ago.

"How'd you do on Nagaki Sensei's Test?" I casually asked him as I tucked some sheets of music under my arm and reaching into my pocket to check the time on my phone.

Sen laughed breifly. "I seriously don't think you'd want to know what I got."

"Heh. A 'C' I bet right." I mumbled.

Sen made a huge gaping smile. He smiled so brightly that the corners of his mouth pushed his cheeks up, which pushed on the bottom lids of his eyes making him have just slits to see. "YUP!"

I pushed open the doors and entered the little hallway connecting the chorus room and band room. The band room was on the left side, Chorus on the right. I could already smell the sour stench of Sunscreen and feet coming from the left side. The sound of trumpeters blasting their horns practicing (It's probably their section leader) and drum line cracking their sticks vigorously on the snares, bases and tenors to test the sound. Sen pushed open the doors leading to the band room and the sounds of all the instruments came like an explosion out the hall.

I saw Kimi and Junie there. They were already setting up their clarinets. Kimi, my best friend who is like a sister to me, caught sight of us come int othe bandroom. "Lin! I brought your clarinet. After you set up, lets go change!"

"Ohhh! Thanks! Let me go put my school crap down and set up my instrument." Kimi nodded her head and took my geometry text book, setting it ontop of hers. Opening my case, I looked at all the reeds I had in the the empty space to put my accessories for my clarinet such as lyres, cork grease and reeds. Rummaging through all my reeds, I noticed that all of that were split and or broken.

"Er, Kimi, do you have another reed? Like, one that you have never used?"

Kimi opened her clarinet case and handed me one of her extra reeds. "Pay me back okay? And hurry up! We've only got 10 minutes to change and you KNOW how crowded it gets in the girls bathroom." Kimi pushed as I stumbled to set up my instrument.

"Okay. Lets go. I'm done." I rushed my words, as I set down my clarinet next to hers. From my backpack, I took out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt to change into. I already saw Kimi walk out of the bandroom without me.

I sprint past all the other clarinets getting set up and leap out the band room doors that lead into the hallway and out of the building. Upon leaving the building, I see Kimi already several yards ahead she was walking with Junnie. I try my best to catch up with them. "Jeez, guys! Wait up!" I say aloud for them to hear me though being the tiny little Asian girl I am they could not hear my voice. Only to continue walking.

I sigh and just when I was about to tie my hair into a ponytail, out comes a random kid carrying black, metallic equipment and a tripod. This kid just randomly comes out from my left (I hadn't even take notice) carrying all this crap and you know what happens next?

_Crash_.

Yes. We run into each other. The tripod rolls to the side and the black equipment falls loudly on the concrete. A piece of equipment fell against my shin making me yelp in pain. I press my palms against the spots I had collided with. It throbbed with pain but It went away after several second. Shaking my head clear, I pick up the item that hit me. It was a black metal rod. "Sorry! Sorry! Here, let me help you." I exclaim and pick up the pieces of equipment that were closes to me.

I saw from the side of my eyes that it was a boy with medium length hair that fell just above his ears (or at the most, midway). His hair was highlighted with a numerous amount of thin golden streaks that blended so well with black hair, Styled rather casually with his bangs slightly blown out and the rest of his hair down (not falling past his ears).He looked like the height of a junior boy. However, I could not see his face.

"Hopefully nothing has been severely damaged." I said and held out the equipment to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah. I'm fine." He said and looked up at me. Our eyes connected and there was a short silence between us. Like what happened in movies when someone would fall in love at first sight. That was what was going on right now but things were different. Slightly different. This boy. I feel like I've seen him somewhere. Like a stalker? No. Studying his face more carefully My eyes widened a bit and my lips trembled to say what was on my mind. "A-Alex? Alex Lao? Is. Could it . . .be?" My words were so unstable when I said them. Like I was about to cry.

"Lin?"

And before I even knew it, He hugged me. Hugged me like I died though some how my spirit got reawoken. I had no other choice but to hug him back. My lips were still trembling at the shock of seeing Alex again and I found myself burrying my face in his neck.

"Lin. I haven't seen you for so long!" He whimpered and broke the embrace we shared to look at my face. "Not much of a change. You still got that innocent face." He said with a bright laugh.

Blushing, I let out a short laugh to hide the red. "Heh. Wow Alex. I haven't see you in...Well, a year. You've certainly changed. _A lot_."

"Oh, You know, growing." He said and took the equipment from me. "Hey! Where were you at My matriculation! I didn't see you." He said with a slight tug at his lips. Disappointed.

"Er. I'm sorry, Alex. I totally forgot." It made me sound so guilty for saying that to his face.

Alex shrugged. "It's okay I guess. I thought I would never see you again but here you are. Uhm, where are you going with those?" Alex pointed to the shirt and shorts in my hands.

"Oh, these? I have Marching band rehearsal today. I have to go change."

Alex's eyes widened. "You're in the marching band? That's so cool! Video-Tech club is going to be filming the band practice today. I get to watch you rehearse. Wow. I've never seen a marching band practice before. Heh. I've never seen a marching band ever preform before either." Alex laughed and stood up. He helped me stand up as well.

"Yeah. It's some pretty bad ass stuff.I get so exhausted after every rehearsal but its all totally worth it." I pulled out my cellphone from my back pocket to check the time. Only 5 minutes left to change and run back to the band room. "Shoot. I'm going to be late if I don't change right now. It's was nice seeing you again Alex. I'll talk to you some other time, okay?" I said.

"You to, Lin!" He gave me another two armed hug around my neck and I responded with my arms around his waist, burying my face into his shoulder and taking in his smell. I tried to memorize it and cherish it until the next time I saw him again. He had a very delicate scent of mint and some sort of sour fruit. It does sound wrong or gross when I try to explain It but really, it's a very clean and sweet scent to it.

I bid him farewell and run up to the girls bathroom. Kimi and Junie were almost done changing. Kimi saw me just enter the bathroom and swiftly slide into an unoccupied stall. "Hey Lin where have you been?" Kimi's voice echoed in the tiled bathroom.

"Catching up." I simply said as I remembered Alex's new appearance pop into my head.

Throughout the entire rehearsal outside in the blistering hot sun, I tried my hardest not to smile. My eyes always followed Alex's body as he walked around the field with a camera video taping us. Mr. Wan would scold me for not keeping my eyes forward. I'd blush as Alex wuld tape Mr. Wan's lecture.  
During breaks for water, Alex would come around some sections to video tape them during their break and what they do on their time. Occasionally he would pass by and wave at me. I waved at him back with a very casual smile while walking to the field when Mr. Wan would call us off break.

That''s how it went for several rehearsals. Alex would show up and video tape us then I'd never see him again till next rehearsal. Funny thing is? I never saw him around school during school hours. Either I was to busy to ever notice him or we never really did cross paths with each other when heading to classrooms. Probably going opposite directions. That's what made marching band so fun. Seeing him there.  
But you know what they saw. Good things must come to an end eventually. After the homecoming field show performance, Alex stopped video taping us and coming to our rehearsal. Sigh. All that was left were two performances for the marching band Competition trip in Hawaii and the festival of marching bands then the season would be over.

Ever since Alex stopped coming to watch us, I slowly started to stop thinking about him. Bigger priorities like catching up on school work and focusing on the competition was on my mind. However, he did cross my thoughts once in a while during rehearsal. Whenever I thought about Alex, I kept wondering to myself when I will ever see him again. I had to let fate decide when we'll cross paths once more.


End file.
